He’ll be a ‘great’ coach: High praise for ex-Juventus and Italy defender Barzagli
FLORENCE, ITALY - FEBRUARY 20: Andrea Barzagli attends the Italian Football Federation 'Panchina D'Oro' Awards Ceremony at Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano on February 20, 2023 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)
Italy U21 boss Silvio Baldini predicts his assistant Andrea Barzagli, a former Juventus and Italy defender, is ‘truly’ talented and ‘will have a great career as a coach, if he finds a good sporting director.’
Baldini spoke to Gazzetta dello Sport after securing qualification for the U21 Euros, to be played next year.
Fiorentina midfielder Cher Ndour grabbed headlines after Italy U21’s latest 6-2 win over Poland U21, scoring from seven meters out.
Baldini ‘surprised’ by Barzagli
During his interview with Gazzetta, Baldini also spoke about his assistant, Andrea Barzagli, who won multiple Serie A titles with Juventus and lifted the 2006 World Cup with Italy as a player. Baldini praised the ex-defender highly.
“A surprise. I never would have thought that someone with his pedigree as a player would be so humble. It’s as if he had always played at the amateur level and were eager to learn the trade,” Baldini said.
“He has my complete respect; in fact, during technical meetings, he’s the one who gives the explanations, not me. He’s truly talented, and if he finds a good sporting director, he’ll have a great career as a coach too.”
Barzagli, 45, won, among other trophies, eight Serie A titles with Juventus and four Coppa Italia titles.
He also played for Chievo Verona and Palermo in Serie A and Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga. Barzagli also won the German title in 2008-09.
Baldini returned to coaching the Italy U21 team after briefly serving as the senior team’s caretaker coach in June for friendly games against Luxembourg and Greece.
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